The Waterfront Regeneration Trust is organizing a week-long, end-to-end bicycle tour of the Waterfront Trail for July 2008. The Waterfront Trail is a 650 km signed recreational route that meandres along the Canadian shores of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River.

The event will be an affordable way for families, recreational cyclists, and more experienced riders to experience the unique and diverse Trail, while gaining a sense of accomplishment and adventure. We would like to create a focus group to gain more insight and [feedback] on the ideas that we are working on implementing, while also having a brainstorming session to gain more ideas on how to attract families.

The time commitment will be 60 to 90 minutes and we are hoping to meet the first week in December in Toronto. If you are interested in participating please contact Petrina at pt@wrtrust.com or 416-458-6859.

Tour Down Under Granted 4 Year UCI ProTour LicenceCourtesy UCI

Two months after the UCI ProTour Council decided to include the Tour Down Under in the prestigious UCI ProTour series, the UCI License Commission has awarded the Australian event a four-year licence.

The tenth edition of the Tour Down Under will be held from 22-27 January, starting from Adelaide, capital of South Australia. This is the first non-European event to be included on the UCI ProTour calendar.

The approval of the Tour Down Under as a UCI ProTour event has been welcomed in Australia with great enthusiasm. The Prime Minister of South Australia, Mike Rann, warmly welcomed the fact that the best cycling teams in the world would soon be in the State. This would increase the event's international visibility and help the region to attract more visitors.

Mike Rann also said that, to celebrate the UCI's decision, event organisers and local authorities would join together to bring a festival atmosphere to the Tour Down Under, including an official ceremony of welcome in Adelaide before the race.

UCI President Pat McQuaid said: "The Tour Down Under fully deserves to be part of the UCI ProTour. Australia has definitely become one of the leading nations in international cycling. It is only fair that it should host a top-class competition from now on." McQuaid also considered that "The incorporation of the Tour Down Under in the UCI ProTour is also excellent news for cycling: it shows that the sport is continuing to develop, including outside Europe."